Laura, our in-house Holistic Nutritionist and Communications and Marketing Manager, is back on the blog today with her favourite holiday treat recipe. Take it away Laura!

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My two best approaches to tackling the holiday season with a healthy frame of mind have always been a focus on moderation and balance. But how do I approach those two concepts? Sometimes with a lot of willpower! It’s not always easy but I try to take every step to be mindful of how I end up feeling after consistent unhealthy choices. They usually end up being a combination of two things: maintaining moderation and processed foods.

This Gingerbread Oat Bites recipe is such a great addition (and finale!) to the Festive Food Guide and to any occasion where a healthy treat eliminates the feeling of missing out on luxurious desserts. This bite has a chewy, moist texture, festive flavour, and is free from refined and processed sugars. Part of maintaining a liver-friendly diet involves as many whole foods as possible, foods free from processing and that are eaten in their most natural state.

We hope you feel encouraged to take small steps toward a liver-friendly holiday season and are inspired knowing that any small step can make a difference towards improving your liver health. Whether it be lowering your alcohol intake, reductions in overeating, going for a walk in between heavy meals, or avoiding processed foods where you can, it all eases the burden on your liver. Wishing you a joyful holiday season as we look forward to a liver-friendly year ahead in 2024!

Ingredients 

1 cup walnuts (or cashews)

10-12 pitted dates

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (can be substituted for gluten-free)

1 tbsp blackstrap molasses (or unsulphured)

2 tbsp of almond butter

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

(1) Soak dates in boiling water for about five minutes, draining and setting aside.

(2) Place the oats in a food processor and pulse/blend for about one minute until the oats become a fine crumb-like texture.

(3) Add the remainder of ingredients and mix in the food processor until fully blended and the mixture becomes like dough.

(4) Once in a dough texture that is thick and still slightly sticky, roll the dough into round balls using a metal spoon or an ice cream scoop. This should make around 15-20 balls, depending on how big you make them. Damp hands make them easier to roll!

(5) If you’d like any toppings to roll or dip them in, you could use chopped candied ginger, hemp seeds, or dip into melted dark chocolate.